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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — a country
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. land — to come down
  20. shower — rain
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com